It is estimated that some seven hundred million people, about half the world’s adult population, are unable to read or write, and there are probably two hundred and fifty million more whose level is so slight that it is hardly called literacy(有文化).
Recently the attack on illiteracy had been stepped up. A world plan has been drawn up by a committee of UNESCO experts in Paris, as part of the United Nations Development Decade（十年计划）,and an international conference of the subject has also been held. UNESCO stresses that functional literacy is the aim. People must learn the basic skills of responsible citizenship, the ability of reading notices, newspapers, timetables, letters, price-lists to keep simple records and accounts, to select the importance of the information gathered, and to fill in the forms.
The major areas of illiteracy are in Asia, Africa, and Central and South America. In Africa there are at least one hundred million illiterate people, which is eighty to eighty-five percent of the total population. In Europe the figure is about twenty-four million; most of them are in Sothern Europe, with Spain, Italy, Portugal, Yugoslavia heading the list (the United Kingdom has about seven hundred thousand).
UNESGO is eager for each country in the world, poor or rich, to wipe out illiteracy.The author implies that this world plan is to______.
| A．be carried out in the major areas of illiteracy like Africa. |
| B．be realized in the years |
| C．be drawn up by Parisian experts |
| D．be discussed at an international conference |
The world plan mentioned in the passage aims at____.
| A．asking African countries to take the lead in attacking illiteracy |
| B．strengthening the function of the UNESCO |
| C．helping illiterate people learn functional reading and writing |
| D．training responsible citizens |
According to the passage, which of the following countries has the most illiterate people?
| A．England | B．France | C．Sweden | D．Spain |
Which of the statements is true?
| A．The major areas of illiteracy are in Asia, Africa, and Central and South America. |
| B．In the USA there are at least one hundred million illiterate people, |
| C．the United Kingdom has about seven hundred million illiterate people |
| D．In Europe the figure is about twenty-four million; most of them are in Northern Europe. |
Tomato Festival
Started in 2005, the Tomato Festival has grown into a local tradition in Malta． In recent years, the festival has added amusement park-style rides and a yearly Creature Feature, which screens old horrible movies．There are also dance competitions, parades and pancake breakfast．Third weekend in August．
Address: 833 Tinkham Rd, Fountain Park, Wilbra-ham, Massachusetts 01095
Phone: （413）599-0010
Brat Days
Don't mistake this festival for a day filled with poorly behaved children． Begun in 1953, the gathering is the biggest festival in the city each year and features more than 50 stands selling the sausage, as well as a contest to see who can quickly eat the most bratwurst in ten minutes．Early August．
Address: 17th and New Jersey sts, Kiwanis Park, She boygan, Wisconsin 53081
Phone: （920）457-9491
Hope Watermelon Festival
The festival dates back to the 1920s, when many trains went through this small town and local watermelon growers would sell their watermelon to parched travelers．These days, the festival sees a Watermelon Queen crowned（加冠的） and sometimes a world-record watermelon grown．There are also more than 300 stands selling arts and crafts from a six-state area, as well as a car show and the Watermelon Olympics．Early August．
Address: 108 W 3rd St, Hope, Arkansas 71801
Phone: （870） 777-3640
Oyster Festival （牡蛎节）
Featuring appearances from tall ships and oyster boats, this festival has regularly drawn 60,000 visitors a year since it began in 1978．More than 3,000 volunteers make the festival possible each year．Norwalk is less than a two-hour drive from many of New England's larger cities, making it easy to attend the festival during a trip to New York or Hartford．Weekend after Labor Day．
Address: Sea view Ave, Veteran's Park, East Nor-walk, Connecticut 06855
Phone: （800） 866-7925Which of the following festivals has the longest history?
| A．Oyster Festival | B．Hope Watermelon Festival |
| C．Brat Days | D．Tomato Festival |
The underlined word "parched" in the third passage means _____.
| A．tired | B．hungry | C．thirsty | D．excited |
In which of the following activities can you enjoy the frightening films?
| A．The Creature Feature |
| B．The Watermelon Olympics |
| C．The Eating-bratwurst Contest |
| D．Dance Competitions |
If it is August 15 today this year, you might still attend _____.
| A．Brat Days | B．Oyster Festival |
| C．Hope Watermelon Festival | D．Tomato Festival |
Waste can be seen everywhere in the school. Some students ask for more food than they can eat and others often forget to turn off the lights when they leave the classroom. They say they can afford these things. But I don‘t agree with them.
Waste can bring a lot of problems. Although China is rich in some resources， we are short of others， for example， fresh water. It is reported that we will have no coal or oil to use in 100 years. So if we go on wasting our resources， what can we use in the future and where can we move？ Think about it. I think we should say no to the students who waste things every day. Everybody should stop wasting as soon as possible.
In our everyday life， we can do many things to prevent waste from happening， for example， turn off the water taps when we finish washing， turn off the lights when we leave the classroom， try not to order more food than we need， and so on. Little by little， everything will be changed. Waste can be stopped one day， if we do our best. From the passage we know that some students often _______ in the school.
| A．eat too much | B．don‘t work hard |
| C．waste things | D．throw rubbish everywhere |
What may happen in 100 years？
| A．We may still have enough oil. |
| B．We may still have enough coal. |
| C．We may have a little oil |
| D．We may have no coal or oil to use. |
Which of the following is right？
| A．Waste brings problems. |
| B．Waste can bring no problem. |
| C．China is rich in fresh water. |
| D．Students never waste things. |
Which is the best title of this passage？
| A．Stop Wasting |
| B．School life |
| C．Waste in the School |
| D．Rich Resources in China |
Last Friday a storm swept through two villages in the New Territories，destroying fourteen homes. Seven others were so badly damaged that their owners had to leave them，and fifteen others had broken windows or broken roofs. One person was killed，several were badly hurt and taken to hospital，and a number of other people received smaller hurt. Altogether over two hundred people were homeless after the storm.
A farmer，Mr. Tan，said that the storm began early in the morning and lasted for over an hour.
“I was eating with my wife and children，”he said，“When we heard a loud noise. A few minutes later our house fell down on top of us. We tried our best to climb out but then I saw that one of my children was missing. I went back inside and found him，safe but very frightened.”
Mrs. Woo Mei Fong said that her husband had just left for work when she felt that her house was moving. She ran outside at once with her children.
“There was no time to take anything，”she said，“A few minutes later，the roof came down.”
Soldiers helped to take people out of the flooded area and the welfare department （福利机构） brought them food，clothes and shelter. How many homes altogether were damaged in the storm？
| A．Fourteen | B．Twenty-one |
| C．Twenty-nine | D．Thirty-six |
Where was Mr. Tan when the storm first began？
| A．He was in bed. | B．He was inside the house. |
| C．He was outside the house. | D．He was on the roof. |
The underlined word “shelter” in this passage means ______.
| A．something to eat | B．something to wear |
| C．somewhere to study | D．somewhere to stay |
Which of he following may be the best title for this passage？
| A．A Terrible Storm | B．A Lucky Woman |
| C．Good Soldiers | D．Clever People |
What does it mean to say that we live in a world of persuasion? It means that we live among competing interests. Your roommate’s need to study for an exam may take priority over pizza. Your instructor may have good reasons not to change your grade.
In such a world, persuasion is the art of getting others to give fair and favorable consideration to our points of view. When we persuade, we want to influence how others believe and behave. We may not always prevail — other points of view may be more persuasive, depending on the listener, the situation, and the merit of the case. But when we practice the art of persuasion, we try to ensure that our position receives the attention it deserves.
Some people, however, object to the very idea of persuasion. They may regard it as an unwelcome interruption into their lives. Just the opposite, we believe that persuasion is unavoidable — to live is to persuade. Persuasion may be ethical (合乎道义的) or unethical, selfless or selfish, inspiring or degrading. Persuaders may enlighten our minds or get our vulnerability(脆弱之处). Ethical persuasion, however, calls on sound reasoning and is sensitive to the feelings and needs of listeners. Such persuasion can help us apply the wisdom of the past to the decisions we now must make. Therefore, the most basic part of education is learning to resist the one kind of persuasion and to encourage and practice the other.
Beyond its personal importance to us, persuasion is necessary to society. The right to persuade and be persuaded is the bedrock of the American political system, guaranteed by the First Amendment to the Constitution.According to the passage, persuasion means ______.
| A．changing others’ points of view |
| B．exercising power over other people |
| C．getting people to agree with you and do what you want |
| D．getting other people to consider your point of view |
The underlined word in the second paragraph “prevail” means ______.
| A．win | B．talk | C．compare | D．expect |
The passage states that some people object to persuasion because they think it is ______.
| A．a danger to society | B．difficult to do well |
| C．unwelcome behavior | D．never successful |
The passage mainly discusses ______.
| A．that people persuade to get what they want |
| B．that persuasion is important and it is all around us |
| C．that persuasion is widely accepted and appreciated |
| D．that people persuade in different ways |
Modern smart phones are fast becoming the must-have item. But what’s in store for the next generation of smart phones?
Tired of carrying around that heavy wallet? Soon you won’t need to! The next generation of smart phones will have NFC technology, which lets you pay for things with your smart phones. All you do is enter your credit card information into your phone. Then, when you are in a shop that allows NFC payments, you just wave your phone over a special instrument at the checkout. The purchase is instantly charged to your credit card.
Ever seen someone wearing something and wished you knew where to get it? Soon it will be easy with PicCommerce, new technology that uses image-recognition software. Here’s how it works. If you see something you like, simply take a photo of it with your smart phone. Then, your phone will send the image to a special server, which will respond with information about where you can buy it and how much it will cost.
Sick of your smart phone battery going flat? With so many applications draining (消耗) the battery, the latest phones need to be charged every day. But next generation smart phones will come with built-in chips that can connect to an antenna (天线) in your home. And as long as your phone is within range of the antenna, you will be able to charge your smartphone wirelessly, even if it is in your pocket.
Worried about getting your smart phones wet in the rain? A company called Hz0 has invented WaterBlock, new technology that makes your phone completely waterproof. And it’s so effective that your phone will even work underwater.
Fed up with carrying a heavy phone around? Soon, you will be able to get a PaperPhone! “Flexible phones are the future,” said scientist Roel Vertegaal. So, what are the benefits of flexible phones? Well, it means that instead of carrying your phone in your pocket, you could wear it wrapped around your wrist, for example.
Of course, there is just the problem: with so much new smart phone technology around, you will soon need to buy a new phone!To pay with your smart phone, you need to ________.
| A．go to a bank |
| B．store money in the phone |
| C．buy a special instrument |
| D．have a credit card |
We can learn from the 4th paragraph that the next generation of smart phones ________.
| A．will have chips instead of batteries |
| B．may consume less power |
| C．will be charged easily |
| D．needn’t be charged frequently |
Which feature of future smart phones does Paragraph 6 show?
| A．They will be cheaper. | B．They will be easier to operate. |
| C．They will be smaller. | D．They will be easier to carry. |
What can be the best title for the text?
| A．The Future of Smart phones |
| B．Basic Functions of Smart phones |
| C．Advantages of Modern Smart phones |
| D．The Development of Phone Technology |